Adjustable airless tire with an air sac within a wheel

ABSTRACT

An adjustable airless tire with an air sac within a wheel includes an air sac located within a wheel to transfer a load of a vehicle from a ground contacting area of a tire to whole walls of the tire through a plurality of spoke structure of rods that connect with the walls of the air sac and the tire. A sensor detects a tension of the tire and a variation of a tension during driving. A control component adjusts the tension of the tire according the load of the vehicle and road conditions to improve its fuel efficiency, comfortability, controllability and safety. A rim of the wheel keeps an appropriate distance from the tire to limit the maximal level of upward movement of the rods. A transversely curved tire mounted to the rim of the wheel to form closed space between the tire and the wheel.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/137,436 filed on Sep. 20, 2018 and U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/183,681 filed on Nov. 7, 2018, the entire contents of all of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of an adjustableairless tire with an air sac within a wheel and, more particularly,relates to a system of the adjustable airless tire with a plurality ofspoke structure of the rods connecting with a wall of the tire and anair sac within a wheel, which imitates a mechanism of an internalinflated tire. At same time, a sensor and a control component are alsoset up to detect and regulate a tension of the tire according roadconditions, which possess its advantages of fuel economy,comfortability, controllability and safety.

BACKGROUND

Current internal inflated tires provide high suspension capabilities fora vehicle by transferring a load of the vehicle from a ground contactarea of a tire to whole walls of the tires through air within the tires,which produces a tension to the walls of the tires. the elasticity ofthe tire decides a suspension of the tire for the vehicle. But, thebiggest disadvantage for the internal inflated tires is air leaking ifthe tires are penetrated by a sharp material.

Nowadays, there are several types of airless tires. But, they cannottransfer the vehicle load from the ground contact area to whole walls ofthe tires, and just provides limited buffering for the vehicle from theground contact area of the tires. In addition, they need specialmaterials that must have enough hardness to support the heavy load ofthe vehicle as well as enough elastic ability to provide suspension forthe vehicle. These contradictory requirements compromise theirindividual function. Its materials are expensive, and its structuresalso limit the highest speed it can reach.

Road conditions may be different, such as a rough road or slippery one,which need different tension of the tire to keep comfortability,stability and safety during driving. But, current tires cannot adjustthe tension of the tire according changes of the load of the vehicle orthe road conditions.

The invention designs an adjustable tire with a plurality of spokestructure of rods connecting with whole wall of the tire and an air sacwithin a wheel to transfer a load of a vehicle from a ground contactarea of the tire to whole walls of the tires, which imitates theinternal inflated tires to provide good suspension for the vehicle. Atthe same time, a sensor and a control component are set up to detect andregulate a tension of the tire according to the conditions of a road.The adjustable airless tire system in the invention improves fuelefficiency, comfortability, controllability and safety.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Instead of placing an inner tube within a tire as current internalinflated tire, which suffer a risk of air leaking if the tire ispenetrated with a sharp material, the present disclosure includesplacing an air sac within a wheel to transfer a load of a vehicle from aground contact area of the tire to whole walls of the tire through aplurality of spoke structure of rods, which imitates a mechanism of aninternal inflated tire to provide good suspension.

At the same time, by detecting a tension of the tire with a sensor, acontrol component will regulate an air pressure of the sac to controlthe tension of the tire. As the result, a size of the ground contactarea of the tire will change according to road situations, which improveits fuel efficiency, comfortability, controllability and safety duringdriving.

Utilizing any suitable elastomer and all types of reinforcing materialsas similar as the internal inflated tire, the tire is cost effectivenessand affordable. Its curved shape provides a closed space between a rimof a wheel and the tire to prevent foreign objects sticking betweenthem.

Other aspects or embodiments of the present disclosure can be understoodby those skilled in the art in light of the description, the claims, andthe drawings of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings are merely examples for illustrative purposesaccording to various disclosed embodiments and are not intended to limitthe scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing an adjustable airless tire withan air sac within a wheel related to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Current internal inflated tire contains an inner tube within the tire,which suffer a risk of air leaking if the tire is penetrated with asharp material. In the invention, an air sac 102 is placed within awheel, which supports whole walls of a tire 100 through a plurality ofspoke structure of rods 101. As a result, a load of a vehicle istransferred from a ground contact area of the tire to whole walls of thetire, which imitates a mechanism of an internal inflated tire to providegood suspension for the vehicle.

the air sac is located within the wheel with appropriate support andprotection around it. The air sac is made up of rubber that is similarto a inner tube of the internal inflated tire. its exterior layer isappropriately enhanced to limit its extension. The air sac transfers theload of the vehicle from a ground contact area of the tire to wholewalls of the tire through a plurality of spoke structure of the rods.

The rods are made up of appropriate metallic or non-metallic materialsthat are strong enough to support the load of the vehicle. A curvedplate is fixed to both tops of rods that contacting with the walls ofthe tire and the air sac. As the ground contact area of the tirecompress the corresponding loaded rods, which press the air sac andincrease its air pressure. As a result, increased pressure of the airsac compress other rods moving upward to compress other parts of thewalls of the tires. By this way, the load of the vehicle is transferredfrom the ground contact area of the tire to whole walls of the tirethrough the air sac, which imitates the mechanism of an internalinflated tire to provide good suspension.

A sensor 104 and a control component 105 are installed around the airsac. The sensor will detect the air pressure in the air sac to calculatethe tension of the tire and the load of the vehicle, and will give alertif the tire is close to overloaded. It also detects a variation of theair pressure during driving to judge road condition. An increasedvariation of the air pressure during driving suggests a roughercondition of the road.

The control component can regulate the air pressure of the air sac toregulate the tension of the tire through the rods. Regulating thetension of the tire will improve fuel efficiency, comfortability,controllability and safety during driving. First, according the load ofthe vehicle to regulate the tension of the tire can optimize a size ofthe ground contact area of the tire with the road, which will reducerolling resistance and improves fuel efficiency; Second, driving on therough road, severe shaking of the tire will increase the variation ofthe air pressure. Reducing the tension of the tire with the controlcomponent will reduce riding vibration and create a softer ride toimprove the comfortability; Third, driving on a slippery road condition,such as raining or snowing, decreasing the tension of the tire willincrease the size of the ground contact area of the tire with the road,which improves the controllability and safety of the vehicle duringdriving; Fourth, driving on sand or mud terrain, increasing the size ofthe ground contact area of the tire will decrease pressure of the tireon the ground, which reduces sinking of the tire into sand or mud. Italso improves traction of the tire over loose surfaces. Fifth, atemergency situation, the increased size of the ground contact area ofthe tire will increase frictional resistance between the ground and thetire, which decreases braking distance.

A steel rim 103 of the wheel keeps appropriate distance from the tire tolimit the maximal level of upward movement of the rods, and support theload of the vehicle if the tire is overload or the rods lose theirfunction.

The tire is made of any suitable elastomers with all types ofreinforcing materials that may be similar as the internal inflated tireto help support the load of the vehicle and enhance its performance. Atransverse shape of the tire is curved with its bead of the tire fixedto the flanges of the rim of the wheel, which is similar to the internalinflated tires to form closed space between the tire and the wheel. Itprevents foreign objects, such as stones, from sticking between the tireand the wheel during driving as well as transfers a rotating forcebetween the wheel and tire.

Other applications, advantages, alternations, modifications, orequivalents to the disclosed embodiments are obvious to those skilled inthe art and are intended to be encompassed within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An adjustable airless tire with an air sac withina wheel comprising: an air sac located within a wheel; a plurality ofspoke structure of rods connecting between walls of the air sac andwalls of a tire; a sensor located around the air sac; a controlcomponent located around the air sac; and the transversely curved tiremounted to a rim of the wheel.
 2. The adjustable airless tire accordingto claim 1, wherein the rods are made up of metallic or non-metallicmaterials that are strong enough to support a load of the vehicle, andcomprise curved plates at both ends, which are shaped for attachment tothe walls of the tire and the walls of the air sac.
 3. The adjustableairless tire according to claim 1, wherein the air sac is made fromrubber with appropriate enhancement at its exterior layer to limit itsextension, and the air sac is appropriately supported and protectedwithin the wheel.
 4. The adjustable airless tire according to claim 1,wherein a plurality of spoke structure of the rods connecting betweenthe walls of the air sac and the walls of the tire, which transferspressure from the loaded rods to other rods, and distributes the load ofthe vehicle from the ground contact area of the tire to whole walls ofthe tire.
 5. The adjustable airless tire according to claim 1, whereinthe sensor detects a tension of the tire to calculate the load of thevehicle, and a variation of the tension of the tire during driving toestimate roughness of a road.
 6. The adjustable airless tire accordingto claim 1, wherein the control component regulates a pressure of theair sac, which affects the tension of the tire and the ground contactingarea of the tire.
 7. The adjustable airless tire according to claim 1,wherein a rim of the wheel keeps an appropriate distance from the tireto limit the maximal level of upward movement of the rods, and supportsthe load of the vehicle if the tire is overloaded or the rods lose theirfunction.
 8. The adjustable airless tire according to claim 1, whereinthe tire is made of elastomers with all types of reinforcing materials,and is formed as transversely curved shape with its bead of the tirefixed to the flanges of the rim of the wheel, which makes a closed spacebetween the tire and the rim of the wheel.